1. Technical Field
The field of the present invention relates to body jewelry and methods for making the same. More particularly, this invention relates to body jewelry which may be extended through a passageway that has been pierced in a body.
2. Background Art
For centuries, adorning the human body with jewelry has been an important aspect of celebration and self-expression. In one aspect of displaying body jewelry a piercing instrument is used to create a passageway in a body part. A post is extended through the passageway and caps positioned on the ends of the post, with the caps acting to retain the post within the passageway of the body part. For example, a person may pierce a passageway through one or both earlobes. An appropriately ornamented earring is selected with a post extending from the earring. The length of the post is selected to extend through the passageway sufficiently so that a backing clip is positionable over the post. The backing clip typically slides over the post and frictionally couples to the post, thereby retaining the post in the passageway and positioning the earring for display.
However, body jewelry may be positioned on other body parts. For example, eyebrows, lips, nose bridges, or belly buttons or other body parts may be pierced and various ornamental body jewelry positioned in the pierced passageway.
It is common for the body jewelry to be retained in the passageway by a larger cap that is frictionally retained to the post. For example, U.S. Pat. No. D394,412 shows a body jewelry having a post that may extend through a passageway. An ornamental ball acts as a cap to retain the post in the passageway. The cap appears to be held in place by compression forces applied by the post. Thus, the cap is frictionally coupled to the post.
In the body piercing art it is considered particularly exotic to pierce a passageway in the tongue and display body jewelry extending through the passageway. A popular body jewelry for display on a pierced tongue consists of a post with enlarged caps. The post is sized to extend through the passageway with the caps attaching to each end of the post. This post with two enlarged caps is conveniently identified as a "bar bell stud."
In known bar bell stud devices, a peg couples each cap to an end of a post. One end of the peg is attached to the cap or post and the other end removably couples the cap to the post. The peg is frictionally attached to the cap or post. To assist the friction fit, an adhesive or plastic insert may be used to increase the retention of the peg into the cap or post. The removably coupled end of the peg may have threads or a frictional slip-fit for retaining the cap to the post as in the earring discussed above. In use, the post is inserted through the passageway in the tongue and the caps coupled to the post. Thereby the caps are retained on the post.
However, body jewelry positioned on the tongue will be subjected to the same environmental conditions as the wearer's mouth. Therefore, the jewelry will be subjected to the searing heats of hot foods such as coffee and soups and to the freezing colds of frozen foods such as shakes and ice cream. Such temperature extremes cause thermal expansion and contraction of the body jewelry device. Since the peg is attached frictionally to either the cap or the post or both, the thermal expansion acts to loosen the cap from the post. Further, the expansion and contraction effects are worsened if the peg is constructed from a material that is different from the post or cap. Even if the peg is held in place with additional adhesives or plastics, the peg will eventually loosen as the coefficients of expansion will be different between the cap or post material and the plastic or adhesive.
When the peg loosens and the cap works free from the post, the cap will be released into the wearer's mouth cavity where it may damage teeth or be swallowed. Further, the post and the other cap still may slip from the passageway in the tongue and likewise cause dental or gastronomic problems. Additionally, once the post is removed from the passageway, the tongue immediately begins healing the passageway and within a short period will prevent any post from being inserted through the passageway. Later, if another body jewelry is to be inserted in the same passageway, the person may be subjected to the discomfort and risk of an additional tongue piercing session.
Another type of bar bell stud is known in the art. In this type of bar bell stud a post has threads extending from each end. Caps, having integrally recessed threads, mate with the post threads. To use this type of bar bell stud, a cap is secured to one end of the post, the post inserted through the passageway in the tongue, and the second cap secured to the post threads. However, the post has exposed threads. These exposed threads contact the interior of the passageway as the post is thrust through the tongue. Such contact may not only be painful for the wearer, but may tear or inflame the tender tissue in the passageway.
Therefore, there exists a need for a body jewelry that is more securely positioned on a body part, without causing irritation on insertion through the body part.